The Meyer Optik Görlitz Lydith 30mm 1:3.5, originally introduced in 1964, and stayed in production till 1971 as part of Meyer Optik Görlitz's itinerary of lenses to encapsulate wide-angle photography, gained renewed attention when the lens was updated in 2020 to the Meyer Optik Görlitz 30mm 1:3.5 Lydith II. The update was by OPC Optics, the new owners of the brand. The new version, though featuring a 5-elements in 5-groups design with a minimum focusing distance of 0.15 meters, is of a different optical construction from the original version.
The original version, be prioritized for field flatness and color neutrality, has a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters (0.15 meters for the Lydith II), 10 aperture blades (as compared to 12 on the new variant), measures 62mm long with a 58mm diameter, takes 49mm filters, and weighs 179 grams on my kitchen scale.
As tested, the moderate wide-angle Lydith 30mm 1:3.5, highly suitable for street, landscape, and creative portrait photography, equates itself to a 45mm focal length prime when was mounted on the 10MP CCD Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US), which is near enough to the optimum 43.3mm diagonal of the film frame.
The unit I used for this shoot, which is compact and complements the camera well, is rather well used, shows its age, and functions well with a few kinks in the focus throw aside from a supersmooth aperture ring.
Working with the lens mounted on the camera is easy and pleasant. Aside from the minor kinks of the focus throw, the focus ring turns smoothly with little resistance, allowing for quick and easy focusing, aided by the focus confirmation system visible on the LCD display bar of the viewfinder. To activate the system on the Pentax K-m (and other Pentax models as well), set the camera to the 'Catch-in focus' feature from the Customization (Item 18) menu system, and keep the shutter release button half-press (keep it light) while focusing.
The aperture ring, though click-less and without detents, features a useful preset function for pre-set aperture control, the recommended way to switch between maximum aperture for focusing and your preferred aperture setting for shooting. To set, first, adjust the aperture ring to the desired opening. Next, pull the aperture ring out towards the front element, and turn it anti-clockwise until it stops, done. You can now rotate the aperture ring from its widest to your setting with your thumb and index finger without moving the camera away from your eyes. The front element does not rotate with the aperture adjustment.
While I believe that the lens might have missed its cue with the reviewers since it was launched way back in the 60s, the potential of the legacy, a 45mm equivalent on current APS-C DSLRs, though with a relatively low aperture of 3.5, is no longer a problem as current cameras can handle very high ISOs without image degradation. This lens is worth considering, especially for vintage enthusiasts looking for a lower-cost addition, with unique character glass, to their repertoire of lenses.
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